After harvest, fresh produce is washed before being sorted and packed. Once clean produce has been sorted and packed, fungus adhering to the surface of the produce may cause mold to develop before the produce has reached market. The presence of fungus on even one piece of produce in a crate can cause decay of substantially all of the produce in the crate. For these reasons, it is desirable to reduce the occurrence of decay in packed produce so that the overall value of the harvested produce is increased.
If produce is treated by process water, the used process water contains contaminants and debris. Conventionally, process water for treating produce has been used for a short time before being dumped due to the buildup of contaminants in the process water.